“Oh......! How fascinating. To think humans made a carriage that runs on mana!”
Eorin, seated in the back, marveled as she touched various parts of the vehicle. The soldier driving kept glancing at her through the rearview mirror.
“Big Sis, have you never ridden in a car before?”
“I have had little occasion to mingle with humans.”
“Pfft.”
The soldier burst out laughing without meaning to.
Eorin glared coldly at him.
“What is so amusing?”
“Nothing.”
“Do not make me ask twice!”
“Pfft.”
This time, Lena burst out laughing.
“Why are you laughing now?”
“No, it’s just that you sound exactly like Mister when you talk.”
“What......? Do not compare me to that monstrous human bastard!”
“Uh...... okay.”
If anyone fit into the category of “monster,” Lena thought Eorin was far more suitable, but she decided to let it go.
Eorin turned her gaze back to the soldier.
“Did I not ask what was so amusing?!”
“You’ve got a pretty face, but it really shows that you’ve been living with some group out in the backwoods.”
“What......? You think I am pretty?”
Eorin fell into deep thought, seemingly pondering something. Kang Hyeon-woo, sitting in the passenger seat, spoke.
“Who is the City Lord of Castle Volg?”
“We do not use the title City Lord. Our community is led by Pastor Baek Sang-hyeok.”
“......A pastor. What is his codename?”
“His codename was Support Healer.”
“Ah, that guy.”
The face of one of Shinhwa Company’s second-string members came back to him.
He was someone Kang Hyeon-woo had crossed paths with several times during raids on large Dungeons.
He had primarily used healing and buff-related skills, supporting others from the rear.
‘He was quiet and barely spoke, if I remember correctly......’
To think he had suddenly become a pastor.
The soldier smiled.
“Do you happen to know our pastor personally?”
“That was a very long time ago.”
“Then you must surely have received his grace.”
“......Grace.”
“We’re almost there. There it is!”
“Wow. It’s so white!”
Lena cried out as she looked through the window.
A massive defensive wall surrounded the entire city.
The wall and every building visible beyond it had been painted pure white.
“Is this a holy kingdom?”
“A holy kingdom?”
“Yes. There is a holy kingdom like this on our continent as well.”
As Lena and Eorin chatted with each other, the vehicle entered the city.
***
As soon as they entered the city, the soldier spent quite a while speaking with someone over the radio.
Kang Hyeon-woo was the first to speak after getting out of the vehicle.
“Something is strange.”
“The Stream...... no, the mana feels strange.”
“The flow of mana here is a mess. No, is it a curse?”
The soldier finished his conversation and approached them with an awkward expression.
“My apologies. The pastor is away for a prayer event, so it seems you will have to stay here for just one day.”
“Fine.”
When Kang Hyeon-woo readily nodded, the soldier let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you. Castle Volg has a variety of high-class accommodations prepared for pilgrims.”
The soldier took a round card from his pocket and held it out.
“This card certifies that you are members of the church. You may use the accommodations free of charge.”
After telling them where the hotel was, the soldier immediately left.
“Mister, are those soldier misters leaving now?”
“Apparently.”
“They threatened us with guns at first, but now they’re just letting us go......?”
“We walked in here of our own accord.”
“Aha! But why did we come here? I can’t sense any trace of Mr. Bear......”
“To get Cores.”
“Cores? Ah...... I understand!”
Lena beamed, then ran over to Eorin and started chattering away.
Kang Hyeon-woo had wondered why she had suddenly asked something she normally would not, but apparently Eorin had asked Lena first.
Kang Hyeon-woo’s group slowly made their way toward the hotel.
***
“This truly is incredible. The humans here seem remarkably skilled at using technology.”
“The previous city, Castle Gaudium, was even more amazing! This place is really modest in comparison!”
“You mean there is a city even more impressive than this?”
“Of course!”
Eorin and Lena chatted away as they entered the hotel lobby.
The city was subdued overall.
Not only was everything painted white, but most of its technology used the kinds of Old-Model Cores Kang Hyeon-woo had seen decades ago.
Unlike other cities, where nearly everything was automated and designed for human convenience, this place was considerably more old-fashioned.
Kang Hyeon-woo approached the receptionist and handed over the token the soldier had given him.
“Welcome. I will assign you your accommodations.”
Without saying much else, the receptionist handed him a keycard.
“A suite on the top floor. May the pastor’s blessing be with you.”
“The pastor......”
“Is there a problem?”
“Not particularly. But how much does it cost to stay here if you are not a believer?”
“For ordinary travelers or wanderers, our smallest room starts at one million Cores.”
“Needlessly expensive.”
“However, if you take a pledge to join the church, the price will be reduced to one-tenth.”
“I see.”
“Yes! All of this is thanks to the blessing of our pastor, God’s Representative!”
The receptionist spoke confidently with a smile.
Without another word, Kang Hyeon-woo picked up the keycard and headed for their assigned room.
“Oh! This box is fascinating.”
“It’s called an elevator!”
“I was wondering how humans reached such high places. The humans here truly are clever.”
“Hehe. Right, Big Sis?”
“Still, with so much open land outside, I do not understand why they would need to build so high.”
“Huh? Hmm...... I’ve never really thought about that.”
DING!
When the elevator arrived and the room door was opened, Eorin immediately exclaimed in admiration.
“Oh, this place...... Have they given us a lord’s chamber? The entire city can be seen at a glance.”
“No! It’s just somewhere anyone can stay if they pay enough money.”
“You mean this is an inn? Impressive. It is perfectly suited to me.”
KNOCK, KNOCK.
A knock came almost immediately.
When the door opened, a hotel employee entered while pushing a cart.
“Complimentary room service!”
An array of lavish dishes was placed on the dining table.
“Wow. What’s that?”
“It’s steak made from cattle raised directly by our church. It’s one of Volg’s specialties.”
Steak, spaghetti, bread, and even fresh salad.
It was real food, something they had barely seen since the world’s destruction.
“Please enjoy your meal!”
The employee bowed and left the room.
“Mister. Can we eat now?”
“Every act of kindness warrants suspicion.”
‘Identify.’
[S-Grade Magic Skill (Identify) Used]
[A-Grade Magic Skill (Charm) Detected]
[A-Grade Magic Skill (Mesmerize) Detected]
Various skills had been cast on the food.
Kang Hyeon-woo turned his gaze toward the window.
[A-Grade Magic Skill (Sanctification) Detected]
[A-Grade Magic Skill (Mesmerize) Detected]
Sanctification magic.
It was effectively an inferior version of Kang Hyeon-woo’s Phase Separation magic.
They were similar in that both designated a fixed area and maximized magical effects within it.
“Oh. This food truly is delicious. Oh......!”
Eorin exclaimed as she picked up the steak with her hand and tore into it.
“Big Sis...... doesn’t your world have forks?”
“......Forks? O-Of course it does.”
“People will laugh at you if they see that.”
Lena demonstrated how to neatly cut the steak using the fork and knife in front of her.
“Like this.”
“Hmph. I-I already knew that!”
Lena ate the steak she had cut, then her eyes widened.
“Hmm? What’s this?”
“Do you sense something?”
At Kang Hyeon-woo’s question, Lena nodded.
“There’s...... mana in the food!”
“It had Charm and Mesmerize magic cast on it.”
“Wow...... Why?”
“How should I know? From the look of things, it does not seem to affect you.”
“Yes! It felt kind of bad! So I immediately disrupted the mana array!”
Kang Hyeon-woo shifted his gaze toward Eorin.
Eorin was struggling to pick up some salad with her fork.
“Argh......! Humans truly do love pointless things.”
Eventually giving up, Eorin grabbed the salad and pasta with her hands and stuffed them into her mouth.
“Ohhh! Delicious! Especially this strange thing on the vegetables. It is sweet!”
“That’s sauce, Big Sis.”
“Sauce...... Sauce, you say...... I shall remember that.”
“There is magic on the food.”
At Kang Hyeon-woo’s words, Eorin blinked a few times.
“Ah! Yes. They cast things akin to curses on it. Hmph! Low-level curses like these have no effect whatsoever on me!”
“I see.”
A half-android who instinctively disrupted mana arrays and nullified magic.
A monster—a Dragon—who did not care whether magic had been cast on something or not.
‘Dispel.’
And Kang Hyeon-woo, who lived a life in which he would not die even if he did not eat.
Thus, the strange meal of the three continued.
***
KNOCK, KNOCK.
The next morning, a new visitor arrived.
He was dressed in white from head to toe.
“Greetings. My name is Ryan, an elder of the New Mind Church.”
Lena and Eorin had already finished preparing to leave.
“I want to meet the City Lord.”
At Kang Hyeon-woo’s words, Ryan smiled and nodded.
“Of course! You have witnessed the workings of God with your own eyes, so naturally you should meet our leader and give your testimony!”
Ryan immediately adopted a troubled expression.
“However...... we have morning worship first. How about attending that, then giving your testimony of faith to our leader immediately afterward?”
“That is fine.”
“Then please follow me. By the way, was the food to your liking?”
Ryan asked while glancing at the dining table, where every scrap of food had been completely cleared away.
“It was exceedingly delicious. It gave me quite a shock.”
Eorin smacked her lips.
“Haha. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Our believers personally raise and prepare every ingredient we use. These are special dishes you cannot taste anywhere else in the world.”
“I was fortunate, then.”
“Haha. We are the fortunate ones to have met such good people. Please follow me!”
Kang Hyeon-woo’s group followed Ryan out of the hotel.
.
.
.
“......And that is why! God appointed me! Baek Sang-hyeok himself, as His representative!”
“Amen!”
“Amen!”
“Amen!”
An enormous outdoor stage stood before rows upon rows of chairs stretching endlessly into the distance.
Countless people, all dressed in identical white clothing, wept as they prayed.
On the stage stood a graying middle-aged man behind an enormous podium, shouting with the veins bulging in his neck.
‘Baek Sang-hyeok.’
Though the memory was faint, he had not changed greatly from his youthful appearance long ago.
Kang Hyeon-woo looked around at the people praying blindly through their tears.
‘Stronger magic.’
Charm and Mesmerize magic had been spread across this place with even greater mana.
“......I! I will show you the will of God!”
Then a limping child appeared on the stage.
A moment later, Baek Sang-hyeok ran his hands over the child’s body.
The child was enveloped in white light, and moments later began running around the stage as though nothing had ever been wrong.
“WAAAAAAAAH!!!”
“Pastor! Pastor!”
“God’s Representative!”
“Pastor, who leads us!”
“Amen!”
“Amen!”
The entire city trembled beneath the cheers of thousands of people shouting at once.
“By my understanding, this makes no sense. Is that not merely basic healing magic? Is this truly something to be so amazed by?”
Eorin tilted her head in confusion.
“Our world was destroyed.”
“......What?”
“It happened more than a hundred years ago. A century ago, for reasons I do not know, your world invaded ours, and our world was annihilated by monsters.”
“Th-That......! That cannot be......!”
Eorin stammered, visibly confused.
“And before that, magic did not exist in our world. Those who survived, and those born afterward, would easily be taken in even by basic magic like that.”
With Charm and Mesmerize magic cast over the entire city on top of that, how could they not be?
However they chose to live was none of Kang Hyeon-woo’s business.
He only needed to obtain some Old-Model Cores and leave for Busan.
“......A world without magic. Even with this much mana?”
“Perhaps that is why your world invaded ours.”
Eorin furrowed her brow and fell into thought at Kang Hyeon-woo’s words.
“Even I, a member of the Silver Clan that holds all the wisdom of the world, believed travel between dimensions to be nothing more than imagination.”
“Your insight must be lacking.”
“......I-I may have only recently left the hatchling stage and become an Adult Dragon, but I possess all the wisdom of the world......!”
“WAAAAAAAAH!!”
“Amen!”
“Amen!”
The believers’ thunderous cheers drowned out the rest of Eorin’s words.
Leaving the tremendous cheering and prayers behind, Baek Sang-hyeok stepped down from the stage.
“Let us go.”
Ryan appeared and guided Kang Hyeon-woo’s group onward.
***
“This way.”
The door opened onto an enormous reception room.
Even at a glance, it was filled with luxurious furniture and ornaments.
“Oh, show them in!”
At Baek Sang-hyeok’s gesture, Kang Hyeon-woo’s group sat on the sofa.
Kang Hyeon-woo saw Baek Sang-hyeok rake his eyes over Lena and Eorin while licking his lips.
Baek Sang-hyeok finally tore his gaze away from Lena and Eorin and looked at Kang Hyeon-woo.
“So, you witnessed the workings of God firsthand at Ground Zero. The fact that you arrived unharmed must also be His blessing!”
“Amen.”
Ryan murmured quietly.
“But have we perhaps met before, guided together by God?”
Baek Sang-hyeok tilted his head and studied Kang Hyeon-woo, trying to remember.
“I have brought coffee and cookies.”
Ryan smiled as he set down the coffee and cookies.
‘Identify.’
[S-Grade Magic Skill (Identify) Used]
[A-Grade Magic Skill (Confusion) Detected]
[A-Grade Magic Skill (Mesmerize) Detected]
[A-Grade Magic Skill (Sleep) Detected]
“People are bound to change. No, perhaps I should say adapt.”
Kang Hyeon-woo spoke quietly as he ate a cookie.
“Hmm......?”
Baek Sang-hyeok was just beginning to smile when he saw Kang Hyeon-woo eating the cookie.
“You are still registered as a Mercenary, so Shinhwa Company must have put you in charge of this place, and the Awakening Support System should still be active.”
“......What?”
“I do not care how you live. But you will have to receive an appropriate punishment for trying to attack us with nothing more than A-Grade skills.”
“......Who are you?!”
Baek Sang-hyeok’s face hardened as he shot to his feet.
“As the price for messing with me...... you will hand over every Old-Model Core you have.”
“......W-Wait. That face, that voice. You cannot possibly be......?”
Baek Sang-hyeok stammered as his face went deathly pale, as though he had realized something.
“Ah, and I suppose a star rating and review are possible too. Shinhwa Company’s second-string member, codename Support Healer. Baek Sang-hyeok.”
Kang Hyeon-woo raised one arm without getting up from his seat.
Then, for the first time in a long while, he spoke an incantation aloud.
“Phase Intervention.”
THUD.
As the phases separated, the heavy air bore down upon the reception room.